Downhome Gospel: African American Spiritual Activism in Wiregrass Country

by Jerrilyn McGregory

Overview

A study of gospel's influence on social awareness in a region of the South that lacked a plantation economy Jerrilyn McGregory explores sacred music and spiritual activism in a little-known region of the South--the Wiregrass Country of Georgia, Alabama, and north Florida. She examines African American sacred music outside of Sunday church-related activities, showing that singing conventions and anniversary programs fortify spiritual as well as social needs. In this region African Americans maintain a social world of their own creation. Their cultural performances embrace some of the most pervasive forms of African American sacred music--spirituals, common meter, Sacred Harp, shape-note, traditional, and contemporary gospel. Moreover, the contexts in which they sing include present-day observations such as the Twentieth of May (Emancipation Day), Burial League Turnouts, and Fifth Sunday. Rather than tracing the evolution of African American sacred music, this ethnographic study focuses on contemporary cultural performances, almost all by women, which embrace all forms. These women promote a womanist theology to ensure the survival of their communities and personal networks. They function in leadership roles that withstand the test of time. Their spiritual activism presents itself as a way of life. In Wiregrass Country, "You don't have to sing like an angel" is a frequently expressed sentiment. To local adherents, "good" music is God's music regardless of the manner delivered. Therefore, Downhome Gospel presents gospel music as being more than a transcendent sound. It is local spiritual activism that is writ large and the good news that makes the soul glad. Jerrilyn McGregory, Tallahassee, Florida, is associate professor of English at Florida State University.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781604737820
Publisher:	University Press of Mississippi
Publication date:	10/05/2010
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Jerrilyn McGregory, Tallahassee, Florida, is associate professor of English at Florida State University.

Table of Contents

Prologue ix

Introduction xv

1 "Come Go with Me": Liberation Songs 3

2 "Ev'ry Day'll Be Sunday": Burial Sodalities 26

3 "There's a Meeting Here Tonight": Baptist Modalities 51

4 "On the Way to Glory": The Shape-Note Tradition 74

5 "God Has Smiled on Me": Traditional Gospel 100

6 "The Gospel Train Is Coming": Wiregrass Contemporary Gospel 126

7 "I Feel No Ways Tired": Sarah's Daughters 154

Epilogue 177

Notes 183

Bibliography 199

Acknowledgments 209

Index 212